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View Full Version : Cleaning Out the Junk on Your Pocket PC


Jason Dunn
11-02-2004, 06:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.handango.com/brainstore/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&jid=41A4DF95553A2419611A242E9BX7CA6E&platformId=2&productType=2&productId=123995&sectionId=0&catalog=30' target='_blank'>http://www.handango.com/brainstore/...Id=0&catalog=30</a><br /><br /></div>It's a sad state of affairs when, on our desktop PCs with gigs of storage space, we have a disk cleanup tool to help clean out the junk and restore storage space, but on our Pocket PCs with limited storage, we have nothing. If you access the Web frequently, you'll be shocked at how much of your storage space is taken up. Microsoft didn't even provide a simple slider bar to control the amount of storage space Pocket Internet Explorer takes up. The irony of this never ceases to amaze me: on a device with limited memory, where we need tools for memory management so badly, we have none. :roll: The good news is that Memaid from Dinarsoft comes to the rescue. Here's what it looks like in action:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.handango.com/include/pictures/357846/memmaid.gif" /><br /><br />I've been using this program for several months, and it's a life saver. The operation is pretty simple: it scans the nooks and crannies of your device, looking for wasted space in the form of temp files, cookies, and other files it can safely delete without harming your data. I used it on my X30 after several weeks of heavy 'Net access, and it deleted over 7 MB of cached Web graphics and text! 8O If you're lucky enough to have a supported Pocket PC, it can even limit the size of your Internet Explorer temporary files (this feature didn't work on my X30 unfortunately).<br /><br />Dinarsoft has given us a 20% discount coupon to offer all our <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/subscribe.php">subscribers</a> - you'll find it on the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/discounts.php">discounts page.</a> With this discount the app is only $7.99, which is a great price for a very useful app. Check it out!

Darius Wey
11-02-2004, 06:52 PM
I gave MemMaid a go as well. It's surprising how much "stuff" is left behind when you uninstall programs. I used to manually delete unwanted registry keys and program files that were left behind from uninstallations, until I got lazy. This program pretty much does all the work for you. :D

It also acts as a great manager for your startup tasks, notifications, storage use, etc. Worth trying if you haven't tried it before! :way to go:

DinarSoft
11-02-2004, 07:06 PM
I gave MemMaid a go as well. It's surprising how much "stuff" is left behind when you uninstall programs. I used to manually delete unwanted registry keys and program files that were left behind from uninstallations, until I got lazy. This program pretty much does all the work for you. :D

It also acts as a great manager for your startup tasks, notifications, storage use, etc. Worth trying if you haven't tried it before! :way to go:

Thanks for the nice comments about MemMaid,
We just want to give a small hint (we'll include this hint in the installtion in our next update to MemMaid)
Did you notice that each tab has different screens (features) ?
You can switch to differnet screen withen the same tab by tapping on the small arrow at the top-left.

Just to let you know :wink:

Darius Wey
11-02-2004, 07:08 PM
Did you notice that each tab has different screens (features) ?
You can switch to differnet screen withen the same tab by tapping on the small arrow at the top-left.

Just to let you know :wink:

Actually, as concealed as it is, it was one of the first things I noticed. :D

SHC
11-02-2004, 07:11 PM
Love the new Avatar DJ-Apod!

Jon Westfall
11-02-2004, 07:30 PM
HOLY @*# - It found 12.2 MB of Internet Cache Files.... I thought my 6315 was running a little too slowly.

Another Satisified Customer - I purchased it immediately upon seeing that 12.2

Jon.

carphead
11-02-2004, 07:41 PM
Been using this for a couple of months. It's a top app. One of the first after a hard reset. I love the ability to clean custom dirs. I set mine to be the egress images cache.

I hadn't even noticed the ability to delete today plugins before.

Jason Lee
11-02-2004, 07:53 PM
I use SK Tools (http://www.s-k-tools.com/) for all these functions and alot more. Is it a bit more of a power user's tool the interface is a little different.

This app looks really nice. Very pretty and colorful. It looks like lots of features have been added since I last looked at it. Very nice.

DinarSoft
11-02-2004, 08:02 PM
This app looks really nice. Very pretty and colorful. It looks like lots of features have been added since I last looked at it. Very nice.

There is more to come as well,
Unfortunatly we can't list the features we're adding/planning to add.
But how about flash card tools as an exmaple (format/scan/defrag) ?

PJE
11-02-2004, 08:36 PM
There is more to come as well

Looks good.

What's the upgrade policy? Lifetime upgrades or updates until V2 comes along...

DinarSoft
11-02-2004, 08:39 PM
Looks good.

What's the upgrade policy? Lifetime upgrades or updates until V2 comes along...

It depends on the amount of work put into the update
But generally it's free updates untill v2.0

Jason Dunn
11-02-2004, 08:44 PM
HOLY @*# - It found 12.2 MB of Internet Cache Files.... I thought my 6315 was running a little too slowly.

Yeah, shocking isn't it? 8O

ctmagnus
11-02-2004, 08:50 PM
Definitely one of the more useful utilities, imo.

Jason Lee
11-02-2004, 09:14 PM
There is more to come as well,
Unfortunatly we can't list the features we're adding/planning to add.
But how about flash card tools as an exmaple (format/scan/defrag) ?

That would be a nice addition! I have Pocket Mechanic (http://www.antontomov.com/) installed now for that. That is really the only thing I use it for, but it has many function that overlap with SK Tools... It would be nice if one day I could get one app that would work instead of haveing so many partially overlapping apps installed. :)

DinarSoft
11-02-2004, 09:21 PM
It would be nice if one day I could get one app that would work instead of haveing so many partially overlapping apps installed. :)

Our goal is to make MemMaid the only application you'll ever need for any memory managment functionality

palur
11-02-2004, 10:13 PM
How easy is it to operate? In the sense, do we have to be very knowlegeable to delete dlls from uninstalled programs or does the software do it intuitively?
Can we use this to delete things safely without much of technical knowledge?
Thanks

DinarSoft
11-02-2004, 11:36 PM
How easy is it to operate? In the sense, do we have to be very knowlegeable to delete dlls from uninstalled programs or does the software do it intuitively?
Can we use this to delete things safely without much of technical knowledge?
Thanks
Try it for yourself :D
the main tab has different screens.
The default one is called "Quick Cleaner" which doesn't require you to do much other than selecting the cleanning categories and then tap the clean button
The other screen (you can switch to it from the arrow at the top-left) will force you to scan first before you can delete, and will show a list of all the items it will delete allowing you to exclude what you want from the list (if you want more control over the cleanning proccess)

Some of the other features in MemMaid (like the notification queu managment) requires some knowledge of what you are doing
However, there is always the help button in each tab, click the question mark at the top-right and you'll get a brief help about this feature.

Mitch D
11-03-2004, 01:40 AM
Holly Cow Man, I just found out where all my memory was being used, 22 MB to temp internet files... this program is going to be a must for me... Not to mention it is going on my list of must have software titles I am recommending to my customers when they purchase a WM device...

humayunl
11-03-2004, 07:50 AM
I use SK Tools for all these functions and alot more. Is it a bit more of a power user's tool the interface is a little different.


I also use SK Tools for cleanups of registry, notification queue, Temp Files etc. Haven't tried MemMaid. With all the different programs that seemingly (to me at least maybe :) do similar things, I am a little confused as to which ones do i actually need to keep my PPC "clean".

I used to have pocket mechanic but after SK Tooks I dont have it anymore. Though I know that the two programs do totlaly different things, but i find SK tools does the cleanup part well and i never need storage card utility functions. Why would I need them anyway? I have an SD card, its been in my PPC from day 1, i copy files to it, delete them etc. what knid of utilities would i need to run on it? i dont even remember formatting it.

So back to my original question... Can someone help me categorize these programs .. here is how i have them categorized them:

- SKtools and MemMaid - General PPC Cleanup hence Substitutes
- Pocket Hack MAster - Processor Performance tweaking. Not a substitute for any other programs in my list.
- Tweaks 2k2 - WM registry tweaks. Not a substitute for any other programs in my list.
- Pocket Mechanic - Storage Card utility. But I am not sure if its more than that... ?

amnon
11-03-2004, 11:37 AM
I remember these tools from the windows 95 era and later.

There should be a warning with every tool like that:
1. Backup your PPC if you are not 100% sure of what you're doing (and even if you do)
2. Blindly counting on a program to clean only what's needed is hazardous to your health.

Having said that, I downloaded the trial.
I like it in general, but there are improvements that should happen. Sure, formatting and defragging my SD card would be nice and very welcome, but the program has to be made safer.

For example, there is a known problem with the Microsoft Reader installation on the built in storage rather than RAM. The posts here and elsewhere talk mainly about the shortcut that is not created correctly, but by working in MemMaid Advanced cleaning mode, I discovered that all the file type associations were incorrectly created as well. MemMaid treats them as invalid and wants to clean them, but it would be great if it would suggest me to repair them since it can easily see that I have the msreader executable, or at least let me manually repair the values.
Other wishes of MemMaid to delete some CLSIDs from the registry are conspicuous as AvantGo comes in my Axim X30h in ROM, and thus I am reluctant to remove them (even though they might be completely ligitimate).
In any case, I believe that some provisions should be taken by MemMaid before I blindly trust it - backups.
I think that there should be settings on what is backed up before deletion and what's not (arguably, backing up PIE cache is pretty useless, but registry keys might not be that easily reconstructed in case of a MemMaid misidentification or, god forbid, a bug...
Applying compression to the back-up and being able to reinstate specific parts of the backup would improve my trust in this program or any other that does the same.

It seems I was pretty good at keeping my Axim clean, it only found around 600KB, 500 of which were PIE cache.

This program is on the right track, especially seeing its small memory footprint.

BTW, how the heck do you get the time and date in the title bar instead of just the time? What program does that?

Darius Wey
11-03-2004, 11:43 AM
BTW, how the heck do you get the time and date in the title bar instead of just the time? What program does that?

Tweaks2K2 .NET (http://www.pc-counselor.com/downloads.htm) does that, or alternatively, if you're comfortable with editing the registry, there's always this quick how-to guide here. (http://www.tweaks2k2.com/how_to/index.htm#datetime)

amnon
11-03-2004, 11:46 AM
Hmm... Why is the so called arrow near (for example) "Advanced Cleaner" and all other places where there is more than one screen is in fact a '6' on my Axim X30h WM2003SE?

Also, when I installed it I get the infamous warning that it may not look OK (the WM2003SE warning for anything not compiled for it and landscape mode).

Amnon

Darius Wey
11-03-2004, 11:48 AM
Hmm... Why is the so called arrow near (for example) "Advanced Cleaner" and all other places where there is more than one screen is in fact a '6' on my Axim X30h WM2003SE?

The arrow allows you to gain access to more features within each tab. Think of each tab as a feature of the program, and the arrow allows you to access subset features within each tab.

amnon
11-03-2004, 11:50 AM
The arrow allows you to gain access to more features within each tab. Think of each tab as a feature of the program, and the arrow allows you to access subset features within each tab.

I completely understand the purpose of the arrow. My question is why on my Axim it isn't an arrow but instead the number 6?

Darius Wey
11-03-2004, 11:53 AM
Oh I understand what you're saying now. Do you get this '6' in portrait mode as well?

DinarSoft
11-03-2004, 12:13 PM
The arrow allows you to gain access to more features within each tab. Think of each tab as a feature of the program, and the arrow allows you to access subset features within each tab.

I completely understand the purpose of the arrow. My question is why on my Axim it isn't an arrow but instead the number 6?

the "6" is actually the character we use to display the arrow, however we found out that in some devices the font needed to display the arrow is missing (different name), so in the next update to MemMaid (soon) we'll change the way we display the arrow to be font independent.

DinarSoft
11-03-2004, 12:18 PM
This program is on the right track, especially seeing its small memory footprint.


Hi,
We're continuously working on improving MemMaid and adding more features to it.
And, it looks like you already have some great ideas for improvements; we'll look into every one of them to see how we can incorporate them into future updates of MemMaid

Thanks for the great ideas.

amnon
11-03-2004, 12:44 PM
Oh I understand what you're saying now. Do you get this '6' in portrait mode as well?

Yes, portrait mode (I haven't looked at landscape mode).

DinarSoft
11-03-2004, 02:59 PM
Oh I understand what you're saying now. Do you get this '6' in portrait mode as well?

Yes, portrait mode (I haven't looked at landscape mode).
Dear Sir,
Please read our repy above.
Thanks

TopDog
11-03-2004, 04:04 PM
Looks like a great tool! I'm on the trial now, but I think this is a must buy tool.

BTW: How do I enter "Advanced mode" ?

amnon
11-03-2004, 04:09 PM
Looks like a great tool! I'm on the trial now, but I think this is a must buy tool.

BTW: How do I enter "Advanced mode" ?

Tap "Quick Cleaner" or the arrow (is it 6 for you too?) and a menu opens.

Amnon

webdaemon
11-03-2004, 04:23 PM
I haven't been able to backup my x30i for several months because something was reporting that the data was several gigs. I ran Mem Maid and now I can backup again! :D

One part that didn't work right is when I moved ie temporary files to built in storage ie would not open. I was able to move the files back to main memory and ie is working fine now.

I bought the app and I love it!

Jason Lee
11-03-2004, 05:35 PM
Holly Cow Man, I just found out where all my memory was being used, 22 MB to temp internet files... this program is going to be a must for me... Not to mention it is going on my list of must have software titles I am recommending to my customers when they purchase a WM device...

SK Tools lets you chance all the max sizes for system caches in its system memory options. You can change the ie cache, font cache, tcp window size... You can even change the location of these files and the avantgo files.. Lots of stuff. But there isn't s drop down box or anything you just have to change the number. It does give you the upper and lower limits though which is nice. Ex. It says I can set the pie cache anywhere from (512/1048576) but you actually have to type the number you want in.

pocketman
11-04-2004, 02:26 AM
I've been using MemMaid since it was first released and was amazed by the amount of new features that got added to it, and now I'm even more happier to know that there is more feature coming.
MemMaid offers very wide variety of functionality (all are memory related though), it made me gained more understanding of how things work inside my PDA.
The great thing that I love about MemMaid is the ease of use.
It's very suitable for beginner and novice users at the same time.

Great work DinarSoft

BudPritchard
11-04-2004, 08:07 PM
8O First time I bought software without a test drive. Based on reviews and user comments, I felt I didn't need one. I was right. 8) 8)

For me, an essential tool to have along with a good backup program.

volwrath
11-05-2004, 03:04 PM
The first tab was great on this as it found 22megs of temp internet files. Tab 2 just sat there and gave me the hourglass (or the PPC equivalent of) indefinitely. I have an Axim X3i.

DinarSoft
11-05-2004, 03:47 PM
The first tab was great on this as it found 22megs of temp internet files. Tab 2 just sat there and gave me the hourglass (or the PPC equivalent of) indefinitely. I have an Axim X3i.

The second tab is the "notification queue" tab. Does this happen on with the other tabs ?
Plaese contact our support at [email protected] and they will help you out

journey
11-05-2004, 06:47 PM
[quote=Jason Lee]
Unfortunatly we can't list the features we're adding/planning to add.
But how about flash card tools as an exmaple (format/scan/defrag) ?
It would be nice to have, especially if it would work consistently. I have used both Flash Format & StorageTools, but both want exclusive access to the device before they will analyze it for errors. Aside from pulling the SD card from my PPC (see below), I have yet to figure out how to disable access to the card by applications/OS, while allowing it to be 'fixed' by the flash card utility.

Regarding someones question on why you need this... The primary reason I use these tools are to detect & fix file system errors on my storage cards (similar to the dos command, chkdsk, or the scandisk utility provided with Windows). Its not as bad as it used to be, but I find if I am reading/ writing lots of data to the card, files get lost. I noticed that the space on my flash cards was slowly disappearing. It was especially bad when I relocated my Avant Go files on my storage card. When I would clean out the directory, I would usually have a couple of files/dir's that I couldn't delete.

Currently, I typically pull my SD card from my PPC, place it in a PCMCIA adaptor and plug it into my laptop (I usually do this when moving music or audio books to my PDA--I find that it faster, but I digress...). Then I run the windows utility that checks disks for consistency on the 'drive' that is represented by my SD card. If you have never done this, you will be amazed at how much you can recover sometimes.

ctmagnus
11-06-2004, 02:13 AM
:rock on dude!:

The Today Plug-ins feature is a godsend! I finally have all my plugins in the exact order I want them!

:clap:

if I had noticed this feature months ago, it would have saved me hours of aggravation trying to get everything just so.